7 string pickups

Zer0

Member
Recently got an Ibanez S7 for a good price just to mess around, but now I'm starting to use it in my metal band and it sounds a little muddy and flat. I want to replace just the bridge pickup with something hotter. I know bkp are all the rage but I've only seen matched sets and they're a little pricey. Looking for something with a good punchy sound, any suggestions?
 
Mahogany: BKP Aftermath (expensive) or D-Aactivator (inexpensive)
Basswood: BKP Miracle Man (expensive) or Blazes (inexpensive)

Those are my go-to choices. I play prog/thrash/shred.
 
I changed the Blaze Pickup on my Ibanez RG7-621 (Japan-Fixed Bridge, 13 years old) with the Dimarzio-D-Activator and I didn't regret it. The mids are very clean (the blazes in the bridge are too "honky" for my taste) and in the bass and high mid/hi range this pickup takes no prisoners... Most bang for the buck. It's the second loudest 7-String-Pickup that Dimarzio produces... but it has lots of charakter and even Cleansounds are really cool.

For Metal: Go for it. But also other styles really work...
 
You can get a single BKP Aftermath I believe. I have a matched pair in my Regius 7. Its pretty hot, I have my A/D input set at 35% and it hits red on palm mutes. I love the Aftermaths, I had a set of duncan designs in an old Schecter C7 that I swapped out for the aftermaths and it saved that guitar from sitting in my closet :) I was so happy with them that when I got the Regius I get a matched pair for that guitar also. I put up a track that is recorded using the Regius with an aftermath in the bridge pickup, check it out if you want to get an idea of what it sounds like.

That being said, you may want to go with mid output pickup depending on what you are playing into. A hotter pickup is probably going to compress at the input stage of your amp potentially making it "muddier" sounding. Personally, I'd try messing with some of your amp/axe settings before settling on new pickups, or try adjusting the pickup height. Also, try a multiband compressor at the end of your signal chain to keep you lows/low mids in check for faster playing.

 
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I heard good things about Lace Deathbuckers/Deathbar. Don't be fooled by the name. From demos, they seem to do more than just high gain stuff... it's great for clean tones, balanced as well and light. I'm probably going to get them for my 7-string once I have some moolah.

Price is also not too bad compared to other pickups.
 
Just got an email from BKP saying they released a "soapbar"-style 7-string pickup :) They are pricey, yes - but you get what you pay for. On the other hand, the most expensive and "best sounding"-pickup isn't always the ideal choice. It all comes down to what sounds good to your ears and suits your style/music genre.
 
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